Noting that the elected people’s representatives have not ‘fully succeeded’ in addressing the concerns of the public, members of the Taxpayers’ Association in Vijayawada have come up with an agenda, highlighting what needs to be done.
Addressing the media on February 11 (Sunday), association secretary M.V. Anjaneyulu said the agenda would be submitted to the political leaders before the forthcoming elections so that they could get an understanding about what the public wanted.
First of all, the Act 44/2020, where the tax on urban property is based on the value of the property, should be rescinded immediately, they said.
Of the various issues and demands highlighted by them include uninterrupted supply of water to the city, construction of metro or mono rail to connect the areas on the city outskirts as well as nearby towns such as Nandigama, Kankipadu, Gannavaram, Eluru, construction of flyovers, bridges wherever necessary to make commuting easier, introduction of electric buses and reduction in garbage tax.
“Recently, people across the city had to face troubles because of interruption in water supply. Officials have to ensure that this was repeated during summer. For this, a check-dam needs to be constructed on the Krishna river to ensure continuous supply of 5 tmf feet of water,” Mr. Anjaneyulu said.
With the construction of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Smriti Vanam at Swarajya Maidan, there are no public grounds available in the city. The Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) should make use of the Disney Land site for this purpose. “We do not have proper playgrounds too,” the members said.
Pointing out the the stormwater drain project has been pending for years, Mr. Anjaneyulu said every time it rains, the city roads become a mess with overflowing drains. The political leaders have to see to it that this problem was solved at the earliest, they said, adding that 40% of the State government’s income should be allocated to local bodies for their development.
The members also requested the political leaders to take up these issues during their election campaigns.
